Why We Fight
by everlovin
Summary: Jennifer comes to the extreme end of her rope. Ronon and the rest of the team help her through it. Ronon/Jenn pairing.


Why We Fight

Disclaimer - Oh, SGA. What I might have done with you had I owned you. Ronon/Jenn would be one thing in there that's for sure.

Pairing - Ronon/Jenn

Rating - T

Episodes - Future fic, but mentions of Childhood's End (106)

Summary - Something I wrote in my strange/exhausted frame of mind a couple of years ago. I got to wondering what would happen if Jenn similarly ran out of strength and will to fight.

Ronon looked at the village and saw devastation. Homes were burning; there was the sickening scent of burned flesh hanging heavily in the air. Under that was a note of sickness and death.

His mind very nearly shut down. AT-1 was coming to relieve AT-3 in aiding Jennifer and her staff with a flu epidemic. It was supposedly a relatively easy week. It was supposed to be an opportunity for Ronon and Jenn to be together.

John assessed the situation as quickly as Ronon did. "MOPP gear, people," and he turned back to the jumper they arrived in.

"Yes. Yes. MOPP gear is good. Decontamination sounds better." Rodney worked hard to contain his panic as he pulled on the gloves and mask.

Ronon barely waited long enough to put on the gear and he was gone looking for Jenn. He was reliving the nightmare of Sateda all over again. Searching through bodies looking for his heartmate.

The rest of AT-1 fanned out through the village looking for survivors. The LSDs didn't offer much hope. There was nothing to indicate life.

Teyla was searching the long house when a sob from a deep shadow caught her attention. Teyla hit the flashlight on her P-90. The sobbing continued as if the person were so consumed with the grief and horror nothing else registered.

Equal parts relief and concern flooded through Teyla when she saw it was Jennifer. She tapped her communicator. "I have found Jennifer. I believe it would be best if Ronon were to come here."

"Copy that," both John and Ronon responded.

It was only minutes later when Ronon skidded through the entrance of the long house.

Teyla indicated a corner beneath a starcase.

Ronon peered into the darkness and heard the sobbing. He turned to Teyla. "Thank you for finding her."

Jenn still gave no sign that she was aware anyone was nearby. Her face was tear streaked, and she wore misery like a shroud. There was nothing of the warm woman he was in love with.

"Jennifer." He kept his voice low, calm, and reassuring. "Jenn, are you okay?"

Her only response was a hiccup between the tears. Ronon clicked the radio. "Sheppard, I need to get her back to Atlantis. You want me to send Lorne back to help?"

"Probably a good idea. Get her in containment gear before you go back to be sure."

Ronon gathered her close to his heart. Her tear stained face tore at him. The devastation in the village was bad. How much worse must it have been for her? She'd gotten to know the people. She fought to keep this from happening.

"Little One, we're going to stop at the jumper so we can get you into containment before I take you back to Atlantis." Ronon kept a steady stream of meaningless chatter as he coaxed her into the iso suit.

He tapped his radio. "Sheppard, Jenn's not coherent enough to make it to the gate. You or McKay want to come back and give us a ride back?"

I took just a moment and then, "McKay will be along in just a couple of minutes."

SGASGA

Ronon carried Jenn the back way to the infirmary. She worried enough about fitting in without some loud mouth spouting off how she couldn't hack an offworld mission. Fortunately, Woolsey arranged to have Carson back home to see what happened.

Carson seemed to know how to handle everyone at their worst. He took one appraising glance at her and took her measure. "I'm going to need a report, Love. What are we facing on that planet?"

"The whole planet? I don't know. The ten villages around th stargate have nothing but death." Jenn drew in a sobbing breath. "It started out as an influenza outbreak. It looked like the 1919 strain. I was working day and night to isolate the pathogen so I could synthesize the vaccine. Everyone was getting weaker. Some traders came back to the area and they brought something that, combined with the flu, was more virulent than anything I've seen in this galaxy. People started dying within twenty hours after the double exposure."

"I had already instituted iso-procedures with myself and AT-3, so we were okay. I needed to know how wide spread it was so I sent AT-3 to the other villages. They'd been gone two days when the last person on Etunia died I had been gathering all the samples I could think of. I stored them all in a cold cache outside of the village and set fire to everything."

She looked at Carson with wounded eyes. Ronon's heart broke for her. She always gave so much of herself to others. To see so many die when she was trying to prevent it would be horrific.

"It was the only way I could make sure it wouldn't spread to other areas on P92-118 or to other planets."

"You did good, Love. We'll send Lorne and Dr Biro through to collect AT-3 and your research." He guided Ronon,. Jenn, and Rodney on through to the scanner. "Let's make sure the lot of you are good to go."

"Could I get a blanket as we go? I can't seem to warm up." Jenn's voice was unusually subdued.

Carson eyed her and eyed Ronon knowing how much body heat he generated and was held in by the iso suits. "We'll get you warmed up."

At Rodney's insistence, they went under the scanner twice to make doubly sure they didn't pick anything up.

"I told you, Rodney. There's nothing wrong with you. Between Sheppard putting you in MOPP gear and Jennifer burning the village, the pathogen seems to have been contained.."

"Then why's Jennifer so cold? I swear. I can feel a tickle at he back of my throat."

"I suspect she's got a bit of exhaustion and shock going on. Ronon will look after her. You'll be fine."

Ronon took that exchange to mean they were being discharged. He gathered Jenn up - and she was still being entirely too compliant - and brought her to their quarters.

SGA

"Why do we do all this, Ronon? Why do you keep risking your life? The wraith will never be defeated; there are too many of them. Michael spread a plague across the galaxy that I'll never be able to cure. What's the point?" She'd burrowed into their blankets and clung to Ronon. There had been so much death recently.

"We fight because we're strong. The weak can't so we fight for them." He laid in their bed wrapped around her. He hoped on some level he provided her a shield from the world around them. Jenn nodded, but he didn't get the impression she believed in herself anymore.

SGA

The next day, Ronon needed to blow off some steam. He found Teyla in the gym, and he picked up one of her extra Bantos sticks. She nodded and took up the fight.

Forty-five minutes later, the worst edge of anger and helplessness had dulled. By mutual agreement they stepped back. Ronon offered Teyla a water bottle. "She seems so lost. I don't know how to help her."

"Jennifer is secure in your love. She will draw solace and strength in that," Teyla offered.

"She sounds like she's given up, Teyla." A touch of frustration at his inability to fix what was bothering Jennifer colored his voice.

"I believe you need to go to M7G-677 this day next week. She will find hope there.." Ronon nodded his thanks. Teyla had a wisdom that few could hope to achieve. He would trust in it and in her.

SGA

They exited the jumper to a forested area. AT-1 met Keras near the village. "Col Sheppard! It's good to see you again. We're glad you are here! The time for Spring Festivals is here. Come, sit by the fire. We'll find lodging for you as soon as we can."

"Sounds good. Dr McKay here just wanted to take a look at your field generator. He figures he can make similar things for Atlantis." It was the official reason for them to come.

"I think if I can make one on a smaller scale, we can create safety zones for our teams when they confront the Wraith." Rodney was excited about the idea. One of the new scientists came up with the idea and he was trying to figure out why he hadn't come up with the idea years earlier.

Keras simply nodded. "Our people have grown much since we first met you. We never dreamed so much was possible with longer life.

"I'd be interested to hear," Sheppard nodded. "We thought as long as we're here, we'd bring our doctor along for a clinic."

"The children will enjoy that. But come. There will be feasting and dancing tonight. You must join us."

John grinned. "That'd be great."

SGA

And it was a celebration that evening. They celebrated births, first harvest, another year free from the wraith. People got out their reed whistles and wooden flutes; there were simple string instruments and primitive drums. Storytellers told the old stories - the sacred stories that night to everyone's delight. There was a seemingly neverending supply of food: roasted meats, early fruit, and flatbreads. People were dancing complicated steps around the fire. John and Teyla joined in the dancing.

Ronon pulled Jennifer into the circle of his arms. For the first time since they got back from Etunia, Jenn's eyes held a sparkle. The grip around Ronon's heart eased. He leaned down and breathed in the scent of her hair - apples and disinfectant and woods - and, somehow, it was all her.

"Do you see how happy they are?" Ronon indicated the rest of the revelers.

Jenn nodded. How could she not? Joy was in everything they did.

"The Lanteans had a hand in these celebrations. Their society can grow and advance thanks to us. McKay and Zelenka working on the field generator; you and Carson running the health clinics; the teams going out to fight the Wraith."

"This is why we fight. So life can go on. So people can celebrate life."

Jenn reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you," she nodded in emphasis. "Thank you for reminding me. Thank you for being you. Thank you for loving me through this."

Ronon grinned down to her. "Anytime."

A/N - I was away from home and had a writing orgy. Review please! It's like raspberry sorbet on a hot day!


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